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Astronomy (thesaurus)

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Concept information

Preferred term

UARS satellite  

Definition

  • The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) was a NASA-operated orbital observatory whose mission was to study the Earth's atmosphere, particularly the protective ozone layer. The 5,900-kilogram (13,000 lb) satellite was deployed from Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-48 mission on 15 September 1991. It entered Earth orbit at an operational altitude of 600 kilometers (370 mi), with an orbital inclination of 57 degrees. The original mission duration was to be only three years, but was extended several times. When the mission finally ended in June 2005 due to funding cuts, 14 years after the satellite's launch, six of its ten instruments were still operational. A final orbit-lowering burn was performed in early December 2005 to prepare the satellite for deorbit. On 26 October 2010, the International Space Station performed a debris-avoidance maneuver in response to a conjunction with UARS. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Atmosphere_Research_Satellite)

Broader concept

Entry terms

  • UARS spacecraft
  • Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

In other languages

URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-BN7J4CJL-W

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